A reputation gained has taken a direct hit overnight, with the game's much-loved showman now telling tales of the distinctly unglamorous lifestyle he briefly lived
A reputation gained has taken a direct hit overnight, with the game's much-loved showman now telling tales of the distinctly unglamorous lifestyle he briefly lived
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Andre Agassi has let the world in on his dirty little secret and at the same time he has a book to sell. Put the two together and first impressions suggest money has bought a long-hidden truth.
Agassi's revelation that he used crystal meth to get high, not once, not twice, but actually "a lot" in 1997 finally provided a plausible explanation to his torrid year on court. A year in which he plummeted from eighth in the world in January to 141st by mid-November.
Of course it is a scandal. Shameful even!
One of only six men to win the career Grand Slam of all four majors, Agassi admits he lied to the Association of Tennis Professionals when a drugs test revealed his sordid behaviour. Incidentally, if the authorities fell for his 'spiked drink' story, that is just as concerning.
The confession can only be described as sensational.
Agassi is not daft, he will know the authorities are hardly going to be falling over themselves to praise his memoirs.
A reputation gained over almost 20 years on tour has taken a direct hit overnight, with the game's much-loved showman now telling tales of the distinctly unglamorous lifestyle he briefly lived.
But Agassi could have kept the secret to himself and still had enough stories to write a sparkling enough book.
Brooke Shields, Steffi Graf, all those slams, the engaging rivalry with Pete Sampras, the difficult relationship with his pushy father.
Some will say he has disgraced the sport but Agassi has surely done its youngsters a favour, inadvertently or not. The meth story should deter many.
Yes, Agassi eventually came back to win grand slams (and soared back to No 4 in 1998), but Agassi was a tennis genius. Only now has he let us know quite how flawed a genius he was. u2014
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